Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

Joan Anderson was born on December 28, 1923 in Sydney Australia. She met her husband, U.S. pilot Wayne Anderson, at Bondi Beach in 1946, and they married four months later, moved to the United States,... and settled in Hollywood. Joan then took on work as a model, though that's not what she's remembered for. In 1956, Joan went back home to visit her parents and noticed a bit of a fitness craze revolving around "the hoop," which was a wooden exercise ring that was swiveled around a person's waist and hips. She had her mother mail one to her home in California and it became a hit with her friends and family. The Hula Hoop was born, with the name "hula" coming into play when a friend told her she looked like she was doing the hula, the traditional Hawaiian dance, when she swiveled the hoop around her hips. Her husband, Wayne, pitched the Hula Hoop to Wham-O, and a deal was arranged, signed only with "a gentleman's handshake," as Joan described. Wham-O never acknowledged Joan's role as the inventor. In 1961, the Andersons filed a lawsuit, but it ended in a settlement of just a few thousand dollars. Joan's story was finally told in 2016. Her daughter, Loralyn, was telling her mother's story to coworkers at a restaurant when a filmmaker seated at the table next to them overheard and gave Loralyn her phone number. The filmmaker, Amy Hill, and her husband, Chris Riess, ended up making a documentary, "Hula Girl" that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. Joan, at this time 94, flew to New York to promote the film and was even interviewed by Vogue. Joan passed away on July 14, 2025, at a nursing home just north of San Diego at the age of 101.Show more

Patrick "Thor" Gass was born on August 5, 1979 in Seattle. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marines Reserve Unit. He served for 6 years and was honorably discharged in 2003. After r...eturning home, he earned a degree in Computer Science and Gaming Design from the Digi Pen Institute of Technology. While in school, he earned himself the nickname "Thor" after an accident left him unable to shave his beard for a few months. Patrick worked as a programmer making games for gambling slot machines. In 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, Patrick and his wife, Yvonne Driver, moved to Wisconsin, where Patrick started working at Raven Software on Call of Duty. In the last two years, Patrick worked for Insomniac Games and helped design the disability and user features for Spider Man 2. Patrick leaves behind his son, Noble.Show more

Two-time Grammy Award-winning musician Chuck Mangione, who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-flavored single “Feels So Good” and later became a voice actor on the animated TV co...medy “King of the Hill,” has died. He was 84.Show more

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Hulk Hogan, the wrestling icon and actor who became the most recognized star in the sport, has died. He was 71. According to the Clearwater Police Department in Florida, Hogan died Thursday morning du...e to cardiac arrest.Show more

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Rene Kirby, an actor known for his work in “Shallow Hal” died on July 11 in Burlington, Vermont. He was 70. His brother Jon confirmed to Seven Days that Kirby had died at the University of Vermont... Medical Center.Show more

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Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman and solo star who helped pioneer the follow-around reality TV genre with his MTV series The Osbournes, died Tuesday. He was 76.

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Tamiya, who died Friday of undisclosed causes, was known for contributing to the worldwide recognition of the toy maker, based in Shizuoka, central Japan, by developing radio-controlled cars and mini ...4-wheel-drive models.Show more

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Julian LeFay, best known as Bethesda Softworks' chief engineer for pioneer games like The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, passed away last night at the age of 59.

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Sad news today as it has emerged that Pokémon series voice actor James Carter Cathcart has passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with throat cancer. James brought several Pokemon character...s to life including Professor Oak, Meowth, Gary Oak and James from Team Rocket.Show more

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The toy industry mourns the loss of Alan Hassenfeld, former Chairman and CEO of Hasbro, who passed away at the age of 76. A third-generation leader of the toy company, Hassenfeld’s legacy extends fa...r beyond boardrooms and business growth, touching lives through decades of philanthropy and social advocacy.Show more

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